This invention is directed to an IC module suitable for installation in a portable data carrier and being connected to an electronic device present in the data carrier. In particular, the invention is directed to an IC module for installation in a chip card in which an antenna coil is formed.
From EP 1 567 979 B1 is known an IC module which is inserted into a card body of a chip card and, upon insertion, connected to an antenna laid out in the card body. In the card body there is located for this purpose a recess in which contacting terminals of the antenna end. The module possesses module terminals corresponding to the antenna terminals. There is applied to the antenna terminals or the module terminals an elastic, conductive adhesive material in the form of a cone. The module is thereupon inserted into the recess under pressure, so that the conductive adhesive cones are deformed into flat cakes. There arises in this manner, without any further measures being required, an electrical pressure-form connection between the module terminals and the antenna terminals.
In practice it has proved expedient to design the module-side contacting areas in the form of a grid pattern with free areas which are framed by conducting tracks. The free areas consist of non-conductive module material and support the adhesive connection. Such contacting areas in the form of a grid pattern are naturally suitable only to a degree for making conventional soldered connections for attaching wires. Modules furnished with such contacting areas are therefore restricted to a certain connection technology.
From EP 1 654 694 B1 is further known an IC module provided for installation in a chip card and having two pairs of module terminals. One pair serves for attaching an antenna prepared in the card, the other for attaching a switch prepared in the card. The module is based on a so-called lead frame, i.e. on an originally cohesive large contact pad which has been subdivided by recesses into a multiplicity of elements. Four of said elements form the two pairs of module terminals. The electrical connection with the card-side device terminals is accordingly effected by means of the same connection technology, i.e.—in the case of lead frames—by soldering.